You have long known what I have tried to establish: the right to dare everything; yet the difficulty I have had finding enough money to live on has been too great, and my capacities have not produced a very big result but the mechanism has got underway nevertheless. The public does not owe me anything because the pictorial work I have done is only relatively good, but the painters who benefit from that freedom today do owe me something.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Financial struggles hindered his art, yet he paved the way for future artists who owe him a debt.
- In plain terms
- I couldn't make enough money for good results, but my freedom helps others today.
- What can you take from it?
- Sacrifice personal success for future freedom.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What debt do you owe your past?
- What freedom are you buying?
Another view
Not everyone can rely on future recognition for current hardship.
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